Tickets: $45 in advance (through noon on Friday), $55 at the door; weekend passes, $75 in advance, $95 at the door. Critic's Choice tickets cost an extra $19 ($20 at the door), each seminar an extra $10.

Tickets purchased ahead can be picked up at Will Call on the second floor.

There are many ways you could choose to spend a crisp weekend day in November.

You could bundle up and rake the last of the leaves - there's a good time. You could catch up on those pesky bills and piles of mail. You could spend the day cooking up something in the kitchen, with some dutiful housecleaning on the side.

The word for next weekend's fourth annual tasting extravaganza, produced by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and presented by Boston Store, is "more." More wines (200 in all to sample, up from 150), more space (190,000 square feet, up from 130,000 - the entire third flour), more cheese (70 to sample, up from 50, and three cheese islands instead of two).

And more opportunities for delicious fun. Cheese carving, anyone? Help judge a chili contest?

To whet your appetite for a taste-filled afternoon, we've compiled a few highlights, focused on what's new:

The Wine Gallery. Noting the success of last year's Leinie's Lodge and Stella Artois Beer Garden (both back this year), organizers decided that wine needed its own hangout space. The specially decorated, 20,000-square-foot Wine Gallery, pretty much smack dab in the center of the exhibit floor, is home to almost all the wines being poured at the event, including a wide selection from Washington state. In many cases, winemakers will be on hand to discuss their choices.

And yes, there are seating areas to relax and sip.

Critic's Choice. It's moved - to the far left corner as you enter (the southwest corner) - with more room to spread out. Sample fare (from noon to 3 p.m.) from 18 of critic Carol Deptolla's Top 30 restaurants, along with premium wines and beers. New to this year's lineup: Braise Restaurant, Buckley's Restaurant and Bar and c.1880 (Sunday only). Tickets are still $19 in advance ($20 at the door), in addition to your general Wine & Dine ticket. Tickets are left for Sunday only.

One lucky Critic's Choice ticketholder will win a $100 gift card to each of the participating restaurants; another 20 each will win a $100 gift card to one of the restaurants.

Say cheese. Three pentagon-shaped cheese islands, separate but grouped together, will offer samples of Wisconsin's favorite dairy food. Count on lines, but with three instead of one, they should be shorter.

Tip: Grab a beer before you join the queue.

On the rocks. The cocktail area known as The Club is back, with two new signature cocktails created by Nicholas Kosevich and Ira Koplowitz of Bittercube: Orchard Harvest, with Bombay Sapphire gin and a spiced apple cider syrup, and The Old Oakheart, with Baccardi Oakheart spiced rum and a cherry-orange syrup. Both will be served continuously by bartenders from Potawatomi Casino's Bar 360.

Try out other cocktails mixed by local bartenders at the Bittercube booth.

Samples in store. Balistreri Sendik's stores are the first grocer to join the event. The locally owned chain will be dispensing samples of their Black Angus beef - a slider or New York strip - paired with wine or Sendik's beer, from their 40-by-40-foot space.

Class acts. There's always something new to learn at the four Wine & Dine stages, offering hourly demonstrations (on the hour or half-hour) - with samples. Learn how to make Chianti-braised short ribs a la Potawatomi Catering, or root vegetable risotto from the chef at c.1880, or get ideas for festive holiday cocktails paired with chocolates (Great Lakes Distillery and Indulgence Chocolatiers).

The Chefs and Culinary Stages seat 100 apiece. The Wines & Libations and Cooks stages each seat 60. (So get there early.) There are also smaller stage areas with seating at the MATC and Capital Grille areas.

In addition, six limited-participant, 45-minute seminars (extra $10 each) offer a chance to learn and sample in a classroom setting. New this year: A class called "Beyond the Bloody Mary" suggesting three distinctive cocktails to pair with three brunch dishes.

Other new stuff

Personalize your wineglass: With Boston Store the new presenting sponsor, your souvenir wineglass has a new design: the department store's name on one side, and sponsor Robert Haack Diamonds on the back. After the event, take your glass to either location of the local jeweler to get your name engraved free.

Watch an artist at work: Sarah Kaufmann, a.k.a. The Cheese Lady, known for her detailed carvings of cheese, will be doing carvings on Saturday at Leinie's Lodge and Sunday at Cheese Island.

Help judge a chili cook-off: On Saturday, Froedtert is sponsoring an EMS/Firehouse Chili Cook-Off. Wine & Dine attendees will get to sample the entries and vote for their favorites; the popular vote will factor in to the selection of winners by a panel of chefs.

Buy your own wine barrel: The Barrel Broker, a Milwaukee-based business, will be selling "quality used" wine barrels in a corner of the Wine Gallery. Decoration for your garden or home bar, perhaps?

Back by popular demand

For $3 you again can purchase a sampling plate that fits snugly around your wineglass, letting you keep one hand free at all times.

Like what you just drank? You can order it. Just pick up an order form at the Wine Cellar outside the main entrance. As you sample wines, mark on the form those you wish to purchase and in what quantity. Indicate which of the seven metro-area Otto's liquor stores you would like to pick up your order from next week. Then turn in the form when you leave the event. You'll be notified within five days that your order is ready. Craft beers and spirits also can be ordered.

Win free stuff. Hourly drawings from Boston Store will result in thousands of dollars' worth of prizes. Enter to win a foodie gift basket from the Journal Sentinel booth. And keep your eyes open: Random exhibitors across the floor will offer their own giveaways.

A final word: If you love to eat and drink but don't like crowds, plan to go on Sunday. It's generally less busy.